Inhaler.



J. BRETSCHNEIDER. INHALER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 19x4.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

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J. BRETSCHNEIDER.

INHALER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9

Patented Apr. 30,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2= JOHANNES BBETSCHNEIDEB, OF WILSDRUFF, GERMANY.

INHALER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented at. so, rare.

Application filed March 9, 1914. Serial No. 823,480.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHANNES BRET- SCHNEIDER, a subject of the King ofSaxony, residing at Wilsdrufl, Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Inhalers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an inhalation apparatus that can serve for theinhalation of air of different physical properties.- The device itself,as well as its action, difi'ers essentially from those usually known.While inhalatlon usually acts mainly chemically, certain materials beingadded thereto in various forms, this present invention acts physicallyon the organism.

The invention is based on the following general principles. Every formof life is manifested by undulating lineslike the pulsation of theblood. As summer alternates with winter, day with night, so in the humanorganism. A time-of intense work alternates with quiet and inertia ofthe organs; for instance in muscular work, molecular changes in thesystem, sleep, etc.

This undulating or more strictly speaking alternating work keeps thesystem healthy and able to resist attacks, and is unquestionablynecessary. Long-continued perfectly regular and uniform life is simplyinconceivable. N ow this change of work can be eflected either, bynatural or by artificial means, where the power of resistance of anorgan is weakened, and especially against infectious bacteria. Physicaltherapy has employed with great success for years alternating action onthe skin, for instance in hydrotherapy. These physical effects representthe most important aids of the modern healing art.

A similar physical action such as one uses on the skin by baths,con1presses,'etc., can be eifected in the lungs and respiratory passages by my inhalation device. This is done by alternately breathing twosorts of air which act in oppositemanners yet are able to counteract andequalize each other in their effects. Cold dry air and moist warm airare inhaled alternately, in such manner that there is always anequalizing efiect; The excessive absorption of the dry cold air isequalized by themoist warm air.

The invention is described and illustrated in the. accompanying text anddrawings, in

which similar characters represent similar parts. Figure 1 shows oneform of application in vertical axial section; Fig. 2 an alternate form;Fig. 3 a horlzontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. In Figs. 4: and 5another form is shown in lengthwise and cross- 'wise sectionrespectively. Fig. 6 shows a detail of a perforated disk, anelectromotor, a compressed air conduit and certain proximate parts, saiddevices being used for effecting the vibration of the air.

The section illustrated by Fig. 5 is taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

In a cylindrical reservoir 1 there is in a lower section 2 room andadmittance for a.

source of heat, of any desired nature. The

intermediate compartment 3 and the upper one 4 are insulated from eachother and from without by partitions which are bad conductors of heat.The middle compartment is a water reservoir. The water may be admittedby an opening of any suitable kind, not here shown, or through thecircula-r pipe 5 having small perforations 6 in its side, which pipeusually admits compressed air-or air at normal pressure received throughconduit 5*, discharging such air in finely divided jets through saidperforations into the space above the water level. These openings 6c'analso be arranged somewhat below the water level; and even at thebottom of the middle compartment 3, in order to compel the air to thewater compartment, a jet 8 may discharge water spray against the aircurrent entering from below into the pipe 7. In the upper compartmentthere'is 'a cooling reservoir 9, hung by hooks 10 in recesses in theouter wall, and which the pipe 7 pierces centrally from below upward.From this pipe the water-saturated air coming from the water reservoirpasses into the channels 11.

and thenceto the annular spaceof the reservoir 1 between the coolingreservoir 9 and the wall of the reservoir 1. In this manner the air willdeposit all the moisture which it contains, all of which will collect onthe deepest part of the double bottom. Thence the water willfpass.automatically through aspiral depression in the sleeve of the in vtermediate bottom which guides the pipe 7,

back to the water chamber.

In the water chamber a space 121s separated from the rest, towhich'there is an entrance 13, the mouth of which is so constructed thatit permits the passage of air only" from'ab'ove downward.

Usually the apparatusdias two outlets. The" outlet 14 permits cold dryair to be I dra'wnofi' throughthe pipe line 16 fronithe lowerrportion ofthe cooling chamber. But

one can also arrange further air outlets whichmaybe thrownin and out ofuse, and which permit taking dry air directly out of the annularspace,-that is, that which is somewhat less cool; or warmer air from thespace between the cooling chamber and the cover (which space may besomewhat larger than herershown). Fig. 1 shows as a further alternativea by-pass 17 through the water chamber, to permit taking off dry airscopic material, and then through a filtering layer 20 of cotton wool orthe like.

In the places marked 20, 21, 22, 23 (Fig.

1) there are soft rubber tubes, which may beclosed by pressure. Theseare shown in 20,21 and 23, so that in the arrangement shown, dry a1r,whlch' has been warmed,

and further artificially dried, is taken off at 24. a r

In Figs. 2 and 3 is shown a modification of my device. f

The pipe 7 is'removed fromthe center. As shown in Fig. 3, the centralspace is divided'by partitions AB and. MC, the upper space by partitionsCD. The airpass'esupward through 7, then downward through 13 ,"andfinally, as shown, emerges. under water. Tl16I1C it finds a furtherpassage only through 7 upward, and then again a through '13downward-into contact with the water, after which it can be taken offthrough l5',-or sooner through 14!.

In Figs. 1 and 5 there isin the interior of the cooler a second cooler,which permits attaining lower temperatures.

In, the middle the tube 7 discharges downward. In theupperportion acooling compartment 9-i s hung by hooks 10 in recessesinthe'outer'walls, and this receives the pipe 7 running spirally frombelow upward.

From this pipe the air coming from the openings.

water-space passes into the annular space which remains between thecooling space 9 and the periphery of the chamber 1. In this passage theair deposits its moisture, which collects on the lowest portions of theintermediate bottom. Thence the moisture passes automatically through aspiral recess in the sleeve of the intermediate bottom, which guides thepipe 7, back to the water space. In the water space a space 12 isseparated from the rest, and in this a passage 13 enters, the mouth ofwhich is so formed that it permits the passageiof air only from abovedownward. The cooling compartment or reservoir 9 contains refrigeratingmaterial arranged in vertical layers 15 in the central part of saidreservoir and surrounded by additional and coarser refrigeratingmaterial as shown in Fig. 4-. The vertical layers 15 contain a coolingmixture. From the annular space the air passes through the pipe 16 intothe space below said miuture, and between the layers, upward, where itis drawn off through 18 and 19. The water of condensation can pass outthrough the spring valve 20.

Usually the apparatus has three discharge The opening 18, Fig. 4,corresponding in function to outlet 14. of Figs. 1 and 2, lets cold dryair be taken directly out of the drying device. Therecan also be furtherdischarge openings, which can be thrown in and out of use, and whichtake the air where it is less dry or cold. The drawing shows in Fig. 4an alternative pipe 19 having an indirect passage through the waterspace, said pipe being brought into prox-- imity to the heater incompartment 2 and alsoimmersed in the water heated thereby. Of coursethe air within said pipe is heated y these agencies. Fig. 4: also showsa short outlet pipe 20 corresponding to outlet pipe 15 of Fig. 1 whichconducts warm moist air from the space above the water. The said outletpipes 18, 19 and 20" make it easy to draw at will either cold dry air,warm moist air or warm dry air from the apparatus.

- The use of the inhaling apparatus permits the physician, y thepatients alternately breathing warm moist and cold air, to effectthermic excitement of the respiratory passages and of the lungs. of athermal excitement is much greater when a mechanical one is combinedtherewith. In order to enable this to be done also by inhalation, thefresh air which is introduced into the apparatus is set in vi bration ofpredetermined strength, sufiicient' to-transmit a certain amount ofvibratory action through the passages of the apparatus to the lungs ofthe patient. In breathing such vibrated air amechanical excitement isproduced in the respiratory passages and in the lungs. If for exampleinfectious eleirectly out of the annular space,

The action I inents have settled in the lungs it is not impossible thatthis vibration of the lung tissues will hinder their development.

The vibration of the air can be effected, for example, as shown in Fig.6.

The compressed air conduit 5 shown in this figure is interrupted by adisk 2 which has openings 2 at intervals near its border and which isturned by an electric motor 3*, said openings being arranged to registerintermittently with said conduit.

The compressed air conduit 5 of Figs. 1, 4: and 6 may be divided insections illustrated in this figure, having between them an interruptingrotatable disk 2, which is provided at intervals with a circular seriesof openings 2 individually registering with said conduit, which isclosed by the intervening solid parts of said disk, so that said diskalternately admits and cuts ofi the supply of air. This disk may bedriven by a convenient electromotor 3 The device for delivering the aircan be affixed to the person breathing, by a forehead band, in orderthat he may take as little active part as possible in the treatment.Instead of the usual mouth piece breathing, the air can be breathed asdelivered by a regulatable current. By an arrangement of tone-producingappliances, the air can be set in vibration with any desired degree offrequency. Also, the air to be inhaled can be subjected to the action ofany desired radiations, in order to replace the natural effect of thesuns rays. The appliance for efl'ecting this can be placed either beforeor behind the inhalation apparatus.

Claims:

1. Inhalation apparatus comprising a heated water containingcompartment, tubular means for supplying air and water to saidcompartment, a refrigerating compartment in proximity thereto and havinga tubular connection therewith and means for drawing from thesecompartments at will cold dry air, relatively warm moist air orrelatively warm dry air. 7 p

2. Inhalation apparatus comprising a heated water-holding compartment, arefrigerating compartment, heat insulating material separating thesetwocompartments, means for discharging air under pressure into saidwater-holding compartment, means for supplying water in contact withsuch air, a tubular connection between the said compartments extendingto the remoter parts ofsaid refrigerating compartment, a tubularconnection between the water compartment and the nearer warmer part ofthe refrigerating compartment and an additional tube from thelatter partof the latter compartment passing through the water and air in the watercompartment without com municating therewith but having an outlet, saidrefrigerating compartment having an outlet for cold dry air and saidwater compartment having an outlet for warm moist air.

3. Inhalation apparatus comprising a heated compartment supplied withmoist air and water, a refrigerating compartment, an air pipe makingconnection between the two compartments, pipes conducting air from therefrigerating compartment respectively into and through the said heatedcompartment, and outlets whereby dry cold air, dry warm air or moistwarm air may be drawn from the apparatus at will.

4:. Inhalation apparatus comprising a heated water containingcompartment supplied with air and a refrigerating compartment partlysubdivided into a series of parallel sub-compartments, said apparatusbeing pro, vided with means for obtaining cold dry air, warm dry air orrelatively warm moist air from it at will.

5. Inhalation apparatus comprising two compartments, one of which ismoist and heated, the other being refrigerated, said apparatus beingsupplied with a current of air having vibrations and interruptions andsaid apparatus being provided with means for drawing therefrom at willcold dry air, relatively warm dry air or warm moist air as preferred.

6. Inhalation apparatus comprising a heated water-containing andair-containing compartment, a refrigerating compartment in proximitythereto and having a tubular connection therewith provided with meanspermitting theflow of air from the refrigerating compartment throughsaid connection to the heated compartment but not in the Copies oi thispatent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing theGomsstoner of Patents, Washington, D. G."

